Thursday, July 28, 2011
How to undelete a blog
Monday, March 19, 2007
Oops. Missed.
The deadline for the Gather.com writing contest has come and gone, and I did not submit The Vedia Gamble as an entry. I just couldn't get the synopsis done to suit me in time, and then by the time I did, there wasn't enough time to get everything all formatted the way they wanted them. So ... it's a missed opportunity, but I'd rather miss it than give it a half-hearted attempt.
Meanwhile, I'm working up a list of publishers for submission.
Meanwhile, I'm working up a list of publishers for submission.
Labels: NaNoAngst
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Synopsis, Take 2
I never thought writing a synopsis would be harder than writing the book, but now I know better ...
Anyway, for the curious, I'm posting the latest attempt at a synopsis for my NaNoNovel. The first attempt got less than stellar reviews, so I'm hoping that this one fares better.
Synopsis of THE VEDIA GAMBLE
by Sheila McClune
Synopsis Length: Approximately 750 words.
Manuscript Length: Approximately 120,000 words.
Small-town librarian Phoebe Caldicott is miserable. Single and in her thirties, she feels trapped in a boring, dead-end job. Now she’s on her way home from her sister’s funeral on an overcrowded airplane in heavy turbulence, and there aren’t even any peanuts. Surely things can’t get any worse … can they?
That’s when Phoebe’s airplane collides with … something. Chaos ensues; when Phoebe finally gets her bearings, she discovers that not only is she somehow still alive, she’s aboard the spaceship The Damned Strumpet. “Independent traders,” third-in-command Ardan Quintus hastens to assure her, but Phoebe knows pirates when she sees them. She soon learns that the pirates, desperately low on air and days away from the nearest spaceport, had resorted to an illegal dip into Earth’s atmosphere to replenish their air supplies, scooping up part of Phoebe’s airplane in the process.
Unfortunately, there’s a dead man on the launch bay floor, and Phoebe is at least partially responsible. Worse, the corpse is that of the pirates' captain—so according to the pirates' code, Phoebe is now captain of The Damned Strumpet. Phoebe doesn't know the first thing about captaining a spaceship or being a pirate; she would just as soon go home to Nebraska. But when the crew informs her that Galactic Law forbids her from ever returning to Earth, she decides to give her new career a shot. It doesn't hurt that several members of Phoebe's new crew seem to be, well, attracted to her—including hunky Chief Engineer Vittore Vere, whose mere presence renders her speechless, and Ardan Quintus.
The Strumpet needs emergency repairs, and as captain, Phoebe's choices are pretty limited: either the port fees are too high, or the repair stations are too far away to reach given the ship's limited supply of air. The only spaceport that seems to fit the bill is Vedia Station, a shady pirates' den run by a man with a reputation rivaling that of pond scum.
Phoebe further doubts the wisdom of her decision when the Strumpet arrives at Vedia Station to find it under attack by rogue pirate Kadigan and his fleet. However, Phoebe and her crew fly to the rescue and rout the invaders, earning the thanks of the station's commander—and free repairs to the Strumpet.
In the process of overseeing the repairs, Phoebe discovers that a saboteur has been at work on board The Damned Strumpet, damaging weapons and stealing vital equipment. She is able to narrow down her list of suspects to just a handful, including both Vittore Vere and Ardan Quintus, but she is unable to solve the puzzle. It doesn't help any that both men appear to be more interested in her than ever, or that she feels as though she may be losing her heart to one of them.
Then Phoebe learns that the crooked commander of Vedia Station has lived up to—or rather, down to—his reputation. He agreed to repair the Strumpet to "original specifications." Phoebe thought that meant that she'd end up with a well-armed pirate ship in good repair. Instead, she's now captain of a roving brothel … painted hot pink! The crew will never let her live that down…
In the midst of Phoebe's negotiations with the station commander to return her ship to working condition, Kadigan returns with additional ships to make a renewed assault on Vedia Station. Having no other choice, Phoebe, her crew, and some friends cobble together a makeshift fleet of ships and once again fly to the station's defense.
The defenders are successful and return to the station in triumph. As a bonus, Phoebe, having uncovered more sabotage during the battle, thinks she now knows who is behind it all. Before she is able to do anything about it, however, the saboteurs attack her and attempt to kill her. She barely manages to break free and call for help, but in the end they are thwarted.
That's when Phoebe learns the awful truth—that the Strumpet's officers only insisted that she become captain in order to draw the saboteurs' attention to her, rather than to them. They selected her because they expected her to be incompetent … and expendable. After some soul-searching, Phoebe comes to understand that through her unexpected success as a pirate captain, she has earned their trust and respect, and that she trusts and respects them as well. And in the case of one particular officer, she has also found the beginnings of love.
If you have any feedback for me, please leave a comment.
(Writing is easy. You just stare at a blank screen until the blood drops form on your forehead...)
Anyway, for the curious, I'm posting the latest attempt at a synopsis for my NaNoNovel. The first attempt got less than stellar reviews, so I'm hoping that this one fares better.
Synopsis of THE VEDIA GAMBLE
by Sheila McClune
Synopsis Length: Approximately 750 words.
Manuscript Length: Approximately 120,000 words.
Small-town librarian Phoebe Caldicott is miserable. Single and in her thirties, she feels trapped in a boring, dead-end job. Now she’s on her way home from her sister’s funeral on an overcrowded airplane in heavy turbulence, and there aren’t even any peanuts. Surely things can’t get any worse … can they?
That’s when Phoebe’s airplane collides with … something. Chaos ensues; when Phoebe finally gets her bearings, she discovers that not only is she somehow still alive, she’s aboard the spaceship The Damned Strumpet. “Independent traders,” third-in-command Ardan Quintus hastens to assure her, but Phoebe knows pirates when she sees them. She soon learns that the pirates, desperately low on air and days away from the nearest spaceport, had resorted to an illegal dip into Earth’s atmosphere to replenish their air supplies, scooping up part of Phoebe’s airplane in the process.
Unfortunately, there’s a dead man on the launch bay floor, and Phoebe is at least partially responsible. Worse, the corpse is that of the pirates' captain—so according to the pirates' code, Phoebe is now captain of The Damned Strumpet. Phoebe doesn't know the first thing about captaining a spaceship or being a pirate; she would just as soon go home to Nebraska. But when the crew informs her that Galactic Law forbids her from ever returning to Earth, she decides to give her new career a shot. It doesn't hurt that several members of Phoebe's new crew seem to be, well, attracted to her—including hunky Chief Engineer Vittore Vere, whose mere presence renders her speechless, and Ardan Quintus.
The Strumpet needs emergency repairs, and as captain, Phoebe's choices are pretty limited: either the port fees are too high, or the repair stations are too far away to reach given the ship's limited supply of air. The only spaceport that seems to fit the bill is Vedia Station, a shady pirates' den run by a man with a reputation rivaling that of pond scum.
Phoebe further doubts the wisdom of her decision when the Strumpet arrives at Vedia Station to find it under attack by rogue pirate Kadigan and his fleet. However, Phoebe and her crew fly to the rescue and rout the invaders, earning the thanks of the station's commander—and free repairs to the Strumpet.
In the process of overseeing the repairs, Phoebe discovers that a saboteur has been at work on board The Damned Strumpet, damaging weapons and stealing vital equipment. She is able to narrow down her list of suspects to just a handful, including both Vittore Vere and Ardan Quintus, but she is unable to solve the puzzle. It doesn't help any that both men appear to be more interested in her than ever, or that she feels as though she may be losing her heart to one of them.
Then Phoebe learns that the crooked commander of Vedia Station has lived up to—or rather, down to—his reputation. He agreed to repair the Strumpet to "original specifications." Phoebe thought that meant that she'd end up with a well-armed pirate ship in good repair. Instead, she's now captain of a roving brothel … painted hot pink! The crew will never let her live that down…
In the midst of Phoebe's negotiations with the station commander to return her ship to working condition, Kadigan returns with additional ships to make a renewed assault on Vedia Station. Having no other choice, Phoebe, her crew, and some friends cobble together a makeshift fleet of ships and once again fly to the station's defense.
The defenders are successful and return to the station in triumph. As a bonus, Phoebe, having uncovered more sabotage during the battle, thinks she now knows who is behind it all. Before she is able to do anything about it, however, the saboteurs attack her and attempt to kill her. She barely manages to break free and call for help, but in the end they are thwarted.
That's when Phoebe learns the awful truth—that the Strumpet's officers only insisted that she become captain in order to draw the saboteurs' attention to her, rather than to them. They selected her because they expected her to be incompetent … and expendable. After some soul-searching, Phoebe comes to understand that through her unexpected success as a pirate captain, she has earned their trust and respect, and that she trusts and respects them as well. And in the case of one particular officer, she has also found the beginnings of love.
If you have any feedback for me, please leave a comment.
(Writing is easy. You just stare at a blank screen until the blood drops form on your forehead...)
Labels: NaNoAngst
Synopsis Blues
Okay, I'm now in the middle of my third unsuccessful attempt to write a decent synopsis. I've got worksheets and examples, but I just don't seem to be able to get the hang of including just the right amount of information. Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhhh!
Labels: NaNoFRUSTRATED
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Something In The Air
Obviously, my feelings of writerly despair yesterday were due to something in the air, or some phase of the moon or alignment in the stars, because elanurel was having the same problem. So she and I have resolved that we do not write crap, and we are in fact feeling better about life today.
Running away now. Really.
Running away now. Really.
Labels: NaNoAngst
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Mood Swings
I suppose it's normal, but ...
I'm going through some mood swings right now in regards to The Vedia Gamble. It probably happens to every writer (except maybe Stephen King, because he knows anything he writes is gonna get published AND sell millions of copies). But for the rest of us ...
Monday, I was happy and enthusiastic about my story. I'd just finished my latest editing pass and was really excited about some of the changes I'd made, and how some parts had really come together. No question about it, this book is GONNA get published.
Yesterday, I sent out fresh copies to all my beta readers. Still feeling good. Then sent some chapters to a writer who expressed an interest in seeing more of my book after hearing a three page reading.
... And the roller coaster plunges to the bottom of the hill. Gawd, did I really send that, and to a professional? What was I thinking? It's not that good. It's never gonna sell.
Then I sit down to write a synopsis (I need one for the Gather.com competition). I'd heard about how hard it was, so I'd been dreading it. I was pleased when it came together relatively quickly. Back up a little. Maybe things aren't as bad as I thought.
THEN I send the synopsis out to several people ... and post it on the wrimobuddies group over on LJ. Not only do I plunge back to the bottom of the hill, but my car derails. The feedback isn't precisely negative, just points out some weaknesses in the synopsis. It's good feedback, and important, but ... now I'm quite sure this story isn't good enough to be published, and never will be....
Oh well. First I'm gonna take a stab at re-writing the synopsis. Then I'll see what my loyal group of beta readers has to say. And I'm reminding myself that this is how I felt just before I did my reading at COSine -- which was a very positive experience overall...
I'm going through some mood swings right now in regards to The Vedia Gamble. It probably happens to every writer (except maybe Stephen King, because he knows anything he writes is gonna get published AND sell millions of copies). But for the rest of us ...
Monday, I was happy and enthusiastic about my story. I'd just finished my latest editing pass and was really excited about some of the changes I'd made, and how some parts had really come together. No question about it, this book is GONNA get published.
Yesterday, I sent out fresh copies to all my beta readers. Still feeling good. Then sent some chapters to a writer who expressed an interest in seeing more of my book after hearing a three page reading.
... And the roller coaster plunges to the bottom of the hill. Gawd, did I really send that, and to a professional? What was I thinking? It's not that good. It's never gonna sell.
Then I sit down to write a synopsis (I need one for the Gather.com competition). I'd heard about how hard it was, so I'd been dreading it. I was pleased when it came together relatively quickly. Back up a little. Maybe things aren't as bad as I thought.
THEN I send the synopsis out to several people ... and post it on the wrimobuddies group over on LJ. Not only do I plunge back to the bottom of the hill, but my car derails. The feedback isn't precisely negative, just points out some weaknesses in the synopsis. It's good feedback, and important, but ... now I'm quite sure this story isn't good enough to be published, and never will be....
Oh well. First I'm gonna take a stab at re-writing the synopsis. Then I'll see what my loyal group of beta readers has to say. And I'm reminding myself that this is how I felt just before I did my reading at COSine -- which was a very positive experience overall...
Labels: NaNoBlues, NaNoObsessing
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Hello-o-o-o Beta Readers!
Just a quick heads-up to all of the wonderful and loyal beta readers of The Vedia Gamble (my NaNoWriMo novel).
I have FINALLY completed this round of editing and polishing, and would love it if you could all take a couple of hours to give the story another read-through. My next goal is to send it off to a publisher sometime in March, so you've got a week or two.I currently have elanurel, gilraen2, msts_eirene, phoenix14159, and rivkarivkina on my list. (I also have a couple of non-LJ folks, too.) But If anyone else on my f-list would like to volunteer, I'd be very grateful (and if not, I understand completely).
And if you're on the list above ... expect to see a file in your mailbox later today!
Crossposted to my LJ...
I have FINALLY completed this round of editing and polishing, and would love it if you could all take a couple of hours to give the story another read-through. My next goal is to send it off to a publisher sometime in March, so you've got a week or two.I currently have elanurel, gilraen2, msts_eirene, phoenix14159, and rivkarivkina on my list. (I also have a couple of non-LJ folks, too.) But If anyone else on my f-list would like to volunteer, I'd be very grateful (and if not, I understand completely).
And if you're on the list above ... expect to see a file in your mailbox later today!
Crossposted to my LJ...
Labels: NaNo Editing, NaNoDONE
Friday, February 23, 2007
Do You Nano?
Got in the elevator at work the other day, and a sign posted in the announcements area got my instant attention.
"Do You Nano?" it asked.
Of course I do.
But it turned out they were talking about some kind of vitamin supplement.
How boring!
"Do You Nano?" it asked.
Of course I do.
But it turned out they were talking about some kind of vitamin supplement.
How boring!
Labels: NaNoMeanderings
I'm Confused
(Cross-posted to my LJ)
For the last few weeks, I've been diligently editing my NaNoNovel, trimming out excess wordiness, getting rid of passive voice phrases (which also usually results in shorter text), that sort of thing.
So can anyone tell me why the story is now 2,000 words LONGER than it was before?!?
For the last few weeks, I've been diligently editing my NaNoNovel, trimming out excess wordiness, getting rid of passive voice phrases (which also usually results in shorter text), that sort of thing.
So can anyone tell me why the story is now 2,000 words LONGER than it was before?!?
Labels: NaNo Editing, NaNoObsessing
